It's still up in the air as to what may become of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), the lot of land in the Lower East Side that has been slated for redevelopment for the last 40 years or so. But one architect has a novel idea for what to do with the roof of the development: turn it into an artificial mountain. For skiing! And hiking! It's no Mt. Red Bull, but we'll take it.
Architect Ju-Hyun Kim waxed poetic to Co.DESIGN about the idea: “Just imagine how this forest in the mountain can emit fresh air and provide a habitat for animals,” he said. Kim proposes that the space should be filled with big-box stores like Ikea, Target, Best Buy, and AMC—and then on the roof, there would be a gigantic park, offering New Yorkers the chance to picnic on the hill in the summer and snowboard in the winter, mountain bike and rock climb. He described his inspiration: “I love hiking. I used to go to a mountain in Seoul when I lived there. However, in living in Manhattan for more than 10 years, that is not possible. Manhattan seems to have everything—rivers, parks, and great urban life--except a mountain.”
He's aiming big for sure, arguing that SPURA so far has had “conventional development, which can be planned in anywhere in the world…There should be a new attraction, some new shock and awe, but one that’s sustainable.” The idea seems far-fetched but worth pondering over, like the concept of extending the L train to the United Nations. Would the mountain affect plans to turn an abandoned trolley terminal beneath Delancey Street into a park? Could we drink on the slopes? And can we get a montage to skip ahead to the finished product?
